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Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

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Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#202
post #6

If this becomes a thing, I might actually switch to something else.

I've been actively looking for alternatives recently after all their "improvements" kept breaking my flow. Unfortunately there isn't much out there :/

I'm actually fine using IMAP, but I really don't want to run my own dovecot/exim/spamassassin servers. It's really inconvenient and really hard to filter out spam. What I need is a hosted IMAP/SMTP service that does spam filtering. I'd prefer not to stay on gmail and use their imap/smtp, but that might be the short term solution.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#203
I'm surprised ads is what gets people up in arms.

Google knowitall overlords logging your whole digital and physical life. Media bubble. Emails shared with spooks.

Ads are annoying. I get that. This is less annoying than youtube ads. Less annoying than TV ads (even if you can fastforward them). Anyway, annoying is not the same as evil. Gmail is convenient. Ads are annoying. If (annoying > convenient), use something else.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One step further: If I'm in the "promotions" tab, then I'm actively looking for deals. So if Google can come up with promotions that interest me, then I'll welcome this new change. It's not like they're spamming our other inboxes. It's just the promotions inbox.

The promotions tab is NOT where you go to actively look for deals. You do that on Groupon. The promotion tab is where you get promotional emails from services that you have OPTED IN to receive emails from. So is it far game if the Viagra emails only appear in the promotion's tab? Google is sending spam (unsolicited emails). That is all there is s to say about it.

Google is not sending spam. If you use IMAP, those never show up. Google is making it appear that there are emails there.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#205
post #49

Given that this is avoidable by using any POP or IMAP client, I wonder how soon they'll close them down. I'm pretty sure it's a matter of "when".

The basic HTML interface doesn't show this either, or at least I don't have this tab and that's what I use. Nor does the really basic old mobile interface (which works great from the terminal with w3m) -- this one https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=mobile

You're right of course, all of these will probably disappear soon :(

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#206
post #97

Horace Dediu's (asymco) graph of Googles rapidly declining margins probably illustrates why Google is now resorting to this sort of thing. http://www.asymco.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Screen-Shot... And related post. http://www.asymco.com/2013/07/19/whats-an-android-user-worth...

Anyone have an idea what is happening to their margins by the way? Who is competing against the same ad dollars as Google (FB seems a bit different), if cost per click is going down, why?

I would guess it's mobile/tablets. I rarely see tasteful advertising geared towards that space, and "regular" pages shown on a mobile phone force me to zoom in on content and scroll past ads.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#207
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A free ride, running one of the largest and best-of-breed, free software-infrastructures.

The gmail I have now is a shadow of what it was when I was invited in more than a decade ago. I so rarely login (it's a backup dumping ground now) that I can't find what I want, it's non-intuitive, things aren't where they used to be and I can't stand it. I might just be getting old though...

So ... you're complaining that a service you don't really use has changed and your old understanding of it won't help you to find your way now?

I get frustrated when I go back to my hometown and am confronted with new streets and missing landmarks, but it certainly isn't their fault.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#208
post #80
post #39

Email used to be fun, then spammers came, then good email providers added spam filters and made email fun again, now email providers are sending us spam. The circle is almost complete.

> now email providers are sending us spam Mine isn't. Get used to it: if you aren't paying for the service, you're not their client and they are not your provider. You're their product. It's not pretty, but sadly this is how life tends to work :-).

Sadly? Just because there are free options, it does not mean you have to use them. Personally, I'm quite happy that it works like that, it does not bother me in the slightest, and I get a good service in change. I realise this might not be ideal for everyone though.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#209
post #75

While Im not sure my Karma would withstand a defense of this, if one must have adverts, isn't sliding them in to the email list a better use of screen real estate, compared to big blocks of in your face adverts? Assuming these advmails are clearly marked as such. I dont like it, and I'm not really a gmail user (I have an account as a sort of throw away),but this does seem better than yahoo's big blocks of ads. Althou…

They take up more conscious space. You have to parse them more carefully if they are right in the middle of the content that you actually want. Those big blocks of in your face adverts don't require any attention at all and they it's trivial to use your brains inbuilt adblock to filter them out.

So, if one must have adverts, the usual form factor is vastly preferred. Especially if the alternative is trying to masquerade spam as legit content.

Re: Ads in Gmail displayed as normal emails?

#210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One step further: If I'm in the "promotions" tab, then I'm actively looking for deals. So if Google can come up with promotions that interest me, then I'll welcome this new change. It's not like they're spamming our other inboxes. It's just the promotions inbox.

The promotions tab is NOT where you go to actively look for deals. You do that on Groupon. The promotion tab is where you get promotional emails from services that you have OPTED IN to receive emails from. So is it far game if the Viagra emails only appear in the promotion's tab? Google is sending spam (unsolicited emails). That is all there is s to say about it.

> The promotions tab is NOT where you go to actively look for deals. You do that on Groupon.

Is that a joke?

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